Satellite communication is widely used for many applications such as television and radio broadcast, and Internet data transmission. Typically, the communication between the satellite and household satellite dishes are in the Ku frequency band, i.e. 12-18 GHz. In order to allow two way communication between the user and the satellite, a lower portion of the Ku band is utilized for receiving data from the satellite and an upper portion of the Ku band is utilized for transmitting data to the satellite. Unfortunately, the upper and lower portions of the Ku band are close to each other, and thus the number of available frequencies is not sufficient for necessary data transmission.
Additionally, it is generally desirable to simultaneously provide to a single antenna configuration a pair of signals, exhibiting the same frequency and orthogonal polarities, or opposing hands of circular polarities, to thus double the amount of signals being provided with the same number of frequencies. In order to isolate the different signals from each other, an appropriate structure must be provided. U.S. Pat. No. 6,724,277, issued Apr. 20, 2004 to Holden et al., the entire contents of each of which incorporated herein by reference, describes one such structure where septum plates are provided to isolate the signal from each other. Unfortunately, such septum plates would interfere with a separate frequency band, thereby preventing multiple frequency use of the antenna configuration. As a solution, Holden proposes to provide a separate conductor, extending along the length of the waveguide, for each frequency. However, such a construction adds cost and complexity to the antenna configuration.
U.S. patent application publication US 2013/0342282, published Dec. 26, 2013 to UHER, describes using four ports to receive the separate signals, two opposing ports for each signal, with each pair of ports orthogonal to the other pair of ports. Such a construction also adds cost and complexity to the antenna configuration.
What is desired, and not supplied by the prior art, is a simplified multi-frequency band antenna configuration which allows for simultaneous receiving/transmission of two separate signals, exhibiting the same frequency and polarities orthogonal to each other, or opposing hands of circular polarities.